Run Cold
by TheReaders
Summary: Sequel to Cold Run. Max and Alex are heading to Antartica. While there they discover a gruesome murder, along with the murder they discover a plot that could destroy the Earth. But who do they trust when it comes to friends?
1. prolouge

Run Cold

Run Cold

Prologue:

The frozen air cut through the man's coat as he stood looking at the Northern Lights. He would observe the lights for a few minutes then go get some sleep. He could hear nothing but the wind whistling over the frozen wasteland of Antarctica. It would be another month before the winter here would stop and it would be light for six months. Suddenly his phone rang and he answered.

"Yes," he said into the phone.

"Did you do it?" asked the voice on the other side of the phone.

"Yes, they're dead. I made sure of it. Send someone to retrieve me as soon as you can," said the man.

He closed the phone and watched the lights turn red, the same color of the snow inside the safety tent. He turned to the shelter in question and entered the tent. Three bodies lay around the small interior of the tent. They were a mix of English and American scientists that were working on the global warming project. Although the research information was useless to the man but the equipment was what he really wanted. He disassembled what he needed and put it in the respective boxes. He started to boil melted ice to make a coffee. As the drink was brewing the man sat back and waited for the sound of the helicopter blades that would take him out of there.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Chapter 1:

"Max! Wait up," called Alex at the airport trying to get her attention.

She turned and smiled at him as he caught up.

"Why are you so slow?" she asked.

"Why are you so fast?" retorted the boy.

The two were headed for Chile on another mission. They had to act like brother and sister on a school trip; which was easier done than said. They just had to refrain from kissing in public and they would be good. From Chile they would take a boat to the Antarctic where they would be helping some American scientists in their research on global warming. Max rolled her eyes and started walking again. Alex followed her smirking a little. It was going to be a long flight.

Once on the plane Alex and Max entertained themselves for a few minutes by reading up on their secret lives and the mission ahead of them. Alex had joined MI6 for good because he wanted to be close to Max, who had joined after the issue with Cam. After they had read the files they talked about school, which both had to continue Alex more so than Max.

"I could tutor you on the mission, it would look like I'm helping my brother with homework," she remarked.

Alex blushed deeply but didn't reply. He really just wanted to grow up normal but with Scorpia out to get him he knew that it wasn't going to be easy to lie low. Now he was worried about Max. If she got to close to him Scorpia could use her as leverage over him, he didn't want that. Although he doubted if they could ever get their hands on her. She was more than any one could handle so far. She had defeated a man at least three times her size when they were in India on another mission together, and so far no one had gotten a chance to try and shoot at her when they came into conflict with guns.

"Alex? Are you okay?" Max asked with a concerned tone.

He realized he had been staring off into space.

"Yeah," he answered.

"You look tired. Maybe you should sleep for a few hours," Max suggested putting up the armrest so he could lay his head on her lap.

Alex was about to when a man sat down in the vacant seat right next to them.

"Can I help you?" asked Alex politely.

The man stayed silent. After a few tense moments the man dug into the dark jacket he had on. When it came out there was a knife in his hand.

"You will not say a word," said the man brandishing the knife, "You will kindly bring me to the front of the plane."

Alex and Max nodded, yeah they could whip this guy's butt but it would blow their cover if they did. The man stood and expertly hid the knife. Alex knew that he was a professional in this kind of thing. Alex and then Max climbed out of their seats and they started walking to the front of the plane. People on either side of them didn't notice, or if they did they ignored them. Fortunately, the flight attendants were not in the front at that time. When they got to the front the stranger made a move for the phone that would call the flight attendants to the front to open the cockpit door, as soon as his back was turned Alex tackled him. Thankfully the plane suddenly pitched right and Alex's momentum increased as he hit the man and tumbled to the ground. Thinking quickly Max closed the curtain to the main cabin quickly. The man somehow rolled onto Alex pinning him. Desperately, Alex tried to fight him off. Afraid that she might hurt Alex Max could only watch. The man had the knife pointed straight at Alex's throat. But the plane pitched again and Alex was able to kick the knife out of the man's hand. Max grabbed the knife and hid it in her cloths. Alex hit the man and he went limp. Alex climbed out from underneath the man. A flight attendant came in from the cabin.

"Would you please return to your seats?" asked the woman.

"Sure but this man was trying to get into the cockpit and he had a knife," said Alex, Max pulled the knife out and showed the attendant.

Her eyes widened as she took in the information. She went to the phone.

"Would Alan Red please come to the front of the plane?" asked the attendant into the intercom.

She hung it up as a large white man in his mid twenties came to the front. The face was well known. But Alex and Max didn't say anything, it was Wolf.

"What's seems to be the trouble?" he asked not showing he knew the two.

"This man had a knife on the plane. Can you please do something about this?" asked the attendant, "Quietly please, I don't want to startle the other passengers."

"Sure thing."

Wolf took the man's wrists from Alex and put hand cuffs on the man. He pulled out an attendant's seat and buckled the man in. The attendant nodded and started to prepare drinks. Wolf followed Max and Alex back to their seats.

"Wolf it's so good to see you," said Max from the window seat.

"It's good to see you two too, it's been about two months hasn't it?" replied Wolf.

"You're an air martial now?" asked Alex.

"No, I'm undercover for now. There have been rumors about something going down in Chile and this flight needed an air martial so I volunteered. What are you two doing here?"

"We're going to Antarctica undercover," replied Max.

"Why Antarctica?"

"We don't know, we'll find out when we got there," answered Alex.

Suddenly the plane pitched forward and the cabin depressurized. The oxygen masks fell and the three each grabbed one.

"What's going on?" Max yelled over the whine of the engines.

"We're going down," said Wolf.

Suddenly he got up and started for the cockpit. Max and Alex stayed where they were. Suddenly the plane pulled up a bit but it was too low in the atmosphere to get back to altitude safely.

"Everyone brace yourselves the plane has to make an emergency landing," Wolf's voice said over the intercom.

Alex looked at Max in alarm but when he saw her already bracing against the seat he did the same and prayed. The last thing he remembered before smoke dulled his senses was wondering if he was going to die.

A/N: There you go, the first chapter to Run Cold. Trust me this is going to get intense.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Chapter 2:

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex…or Wolf for that matter.

A/N: sorry I haven't been putting disclaimers…oops. Here's chapter 2.

Alex heard the sirens and realized he was alive, somehow he had survived the crash landing. His vision hadn't fully returned but he felt someone grasping his hand. He groaned as he realized he was in great pain.

"Alex?" asked Max's gentle voice.

He opened his eyes further and saw her sitting there right next to him. Her face was stained with dirt and blood.

"Where's Wolf?" he asked.

"Right here Cub," answered the older man.

"What happened?" he the boy asked.

"The man you two apprehended wasn't alone. The co-pilot was his partner. He shot the pilot when the other man didn't come into the cock pit so he took control. That's when I got there and stopped him. I couldn't right the plane and it was going to crash. I made the landing as soft as possible. Miraculously the only person that died was the pilot and he was shot," explained Wolf.

Alex tried to sit up and his chest exploded in pain. He grimaced and lay back down.

"The medics are coming just lie still," ordered Wolf.

Alex did as he was told. Some paramedics came over and loaded him onto a gurney. Max was told to go into the ambulance with him. The inside of the ambulance looked all too familiar to him and he made a mental note to not go into one again unless absolutely necessary. Max was given an IV, other than a few scratches she looked completely fine.

"How are you feeling?" Alex asked.

"Fine. What about you?" she asked, "The baggage storage fell on your head after all."

"Is that what happened?!" Alex yelled in surprise.

He abruptly got a monstrous head ache and reminded himself not to do that. Max was laughing.

"Kidding, you were hit over the head with a small piece of baggage; I think it was a book. You passed out before we even hit the ground," Max explained.

Alex was a little embarrassed but a little more relieved, his head still hurt like crazy though.

It turned out they had crash landed in Brazil and were close to their goal than they had thought. After Alex had been the hospital for two days they were able to find a plane to Chile. Once in the country they passed through customs without a problem. Wolf stayed at the airport; he needed to find a way back home to report his findings. Alex and Max headed for a hotel for the night.

"The boat leaves at noon tomorrow," Max told Alex after they had showered in their own separate rooms.

Max had come to Alex's room so they could talk.

"How long do you think it will take us to get there?" the boy asked.

"A week or more, depending on the ice flows."

"Hopefully nothing goes wrong, I mean this is the first easy mission in a long time," stated Alex.

"Don't jinx it silly," Max teased.

I wonder what it will be like when we get there," Alex remarked.

"Cold," Max answered.

They laughed.

"I really hope some good comes from us being there. I don't want this to be a waste of time," Alex said after they had sat in silence for a moment.

"I'm sure it won't be Alex," Max answered, "The scientists are really close to discover something. We're just going to strengthen the relationship between Britain and America."

"But don't you think it's strange that the plane we happened to be on was attacked?"

"Alex you're being paranoid. That was just an unfortunate coincidence."

Alex hoped she was right.

A/N: Sorry it's short. I need to do some homework though. I'll update ASAP.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Chapter 3:

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex.

A/N: All right this one is going to be longer than the last one so get ready.

Max woke at six in the morning to get ready for the boat ride. It was pleasant in Chile at this time of year but it would be freezing cold when they arrived at their final destination. She dressed in a tank top and jeans. She tied her sweatshirt on her waist. She packed her pajamas, laptop, and all her bathroom necessities then did a sweep of the room. It was seven when she was done. Not wanting to wake Alex just yet she went out on her balcony to watch the people below her. Most were tourists who were sightseeing. Max could pick them out from their hats, bright colored shirts, and cameras. Children were running around the streets getting into all sorts of mischief. Some were bothering their parents for treat money; some were bothering the people on the street. Others were running around playing tag. Some of the natives were selling trinkets while others were selling food. Somewhere there was a band playing, the sounds echoing into Max's ears. But there was another sound that she couldn't pinpoint exactly. It was familiar somehow. That's when it hit her; they were planes, military planes. Max wondered why her heart was racing in fear, why should she be surprised; Chile was known for having problems. But something was telling her to hightail it out of the hotel and find somewhere safe to hide till the boat left. That was when she heard it, the unmistakable whistle of bombs being dropped.

Off to her left a building exploded in a cascade of fire. She was so shocked she didn't move or even scream until another explosion happened on her right. She bolted into action. Running back inside she grabbed her duffle bag that held her clothes. She needed to go and get Alex moving.

Alex was startled awake by an explosion. He shot out of bed and ran to the window. Fire streamed from a building not to far off. Another explosion racked the hotel and he raced to get some clothes on. He was able to slip pants on over his boxers when there was a frenzied knock at the door. He grabbed a shirt and opened the door.

"We need to get out of here!" Max yelled at him.

From years of having to leave in a hurry Alex hadn't unpacked. He grabbed his duffle and followed Max to the stairs. They raced down into the lobby. People were screaming, trying to take cover under tables and chairs. Another explosion racked the street in front of the lobby. Max and Alex ran to the street. People and debris lay scattered in unrecognizable heaps of flesh and shrapnel. Max couldn't believe her eyes as she scanned the scene before her. Alex was seething with what seemed like anger.

"Who would do such a thing?" asked Alex.

A plane flew by over head and Max moved her eyes sky ward. On the wing of the ship she saw a red arrow going through a strange symbol she had never seen before. She filed the symbol away for future reference. There were more explosions farther away, Alex and Max started running through the ruined city. There were lots of survivors, some searched the debris for belongings, and others were cradling the dead in their arms mourning over their loss. Some walked as if in a daze as if they couldn't believe this was happening to them. Max tried to keep from perceiving these horrible things but to no avail, she quickened her step. She wanted to get down to the docks. The boat would be leaving no matter what; it needed to get supplies to the scientists. But it wasn't leaving for another few hours; somehow they had to stay safe till then. Planes circled over head but didn't drop any more bombs. They were waiting for something. Alex heard it first, a deep rumble of diesel engines.

"Max!" he yelled.

But Max wasn't there. Alex looked around. Her orange tank top wasn't anywhere to be seen. He panicked. How could he loose her that easily, then he remembered she was a spy after all.

"Max!" he yelled again.

There was no answer to his calls. He stopped, which turned out to be a big mistake. A big burly guy in a military uniform grabbed him. He tried to struggle but the man tightened his grip and nearly choked Alex. He stopped struggling.

"What do you want with me?" asked Alex not expecting an answer.

"Come now Alex, you know what we want," the military man said.

The voice sounded familiar for some reason.

"Who are you?" asked Alex.

"Come now Alex, you know who I am," said the man.

Then it hit him. Alex unconsciously relaxed in awe and a cloth was placed over his mouth. Before Alex had time to struggle he was out. And Ash gently carried his god son to the military car that was waiting behind a bombed building.

Max had lost Alex when she had picked up the pace. She was now trying to find him. All the shelters had records of all the people who had come to them but Alex hadn't been seen in any of them. She wondered where that boy could have been off too. She dug out her communicator that Smithers had given Alex and her. She punched in a few coordinates and listened. There was nothing but silence. Max's stomach tightened in fear, something wasn't right. She continued to look through the ruined city. Everyone was dirty and those that weren't moving were too sad, hurt, or dead. She couldn't believe the destruction she was seeing. Something in the pit of her stomach told her to go to the docks and wait to there for Alex but her mind told her to keep looking. 'He couldn't have gotten that far' she reasoned. She couldn't have made a graver mistake.

Alex woke handcuffed and his legs were tied tightly. He was also gagged. Thankfully he wasn't blindfolded. He saw and smelt the sour stink of sweat and other unpleasant odors of the bottom of a car. It was hard vinyl that was made to be easy to clean. Suddenly he was jarred painfully against the back of the seat behind him. He moaned through the gag and someone patted him on the head.

"It's all right Alex, we'll be arriving at our destination any moment," came his god father's voice over the roar of the engine of the car.

Alex tensed at the touch and when he heard the voice of the one who betrayed him, he tried to curl into a ball. Ash chuckled a little and turned back to the front of the car. They turned then stopped. Doors opened then closed and Alex was lifted out of the car by strong arms. Alex struggled. He was able to kick the person holding him in the head and he was dropped painfully to the ground. When he recovered he saw his god father massaging his face. He had taken off his shirt due to the heat and Alex saw a scar on his god father's chest right above where his heart was. Alex's mind flashed back to the night when he thought his traitor god father had died. The memory brought back unwelcome feelings of guilt and loss. But the look on Ash's face was nothing short of scary. The older man came over to the boy lying helpless on the ground.

"Not a smart thing to do Alex," Ash remarked grabbing Alex by the handcuffs and dragging him to his feet, "If that wasn't me you could have been killed right on the spot."

Alex could only wince as the handcuffs dug into the thin skin of his wrists, Ash shoved him forward. Alex walked as his god father guided him through two huge metal doors, the down a darkened hallway. He was thrown into another room and left lying on the ground handcuffed and bound. That was when he started to cry, he had no idea why but he needed to get it out of his system. He thought about Max and wondered if she was thinking of him. He thought of their mission that they still had yet to complete. Anger flared in his chest and he sat up to try and get out of his situation.

Max had looked all over for Alex and couldn't find him anywhere. No one had seen an American boy wandering around that had looked like Alex. None of the shelters had seen him and he had not gone to dock to check in for the boat. Tired and sick of walking around doing nothing she sat down on some debris and took out her laptop. It was something Smithers had given her so she could keep track of all the stuff she and Alex had found. She could also e-mail and, because Smithers was awesome, there was also a panic software. It would go directly to Alan Blunt and it would be listed as top priority, she could send them a message explaining what had happened and help would arrive, hopefully. She went into that software now and typed in a message. When she sent it she sighed and looked at the sky hoping Alex was okay.

A/NL: Sorry guys you'll see what happens next chapter. Tchao.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Disclaimer: I don't Alex Rider.

A/N: Okay let me clear things up. Yes, in my story Ash is alive. In Scorpia at the end where Alex "died" well, here is the same kind of concept. Ash lives because his heart and lung were missed. He survived the explosion too and was found on the beach, bloody and badly burned, but alive. He went to the hospital and got better slowly, now he's back. Did that clear stuff up? Here's chapter 4.

Alex lay in his little room, waiting for anybody to come. He wouldn't have minded if it was Ash or Max he just hated the waiting. His wish was granted a moment later when a man walked through the door. He was a small man and he was wiry and pale, he looked like a doctor. But this guy was no doctor, Alex soon found that out when the man pulled out a needle from a silver case, it was small and didn't look like anything painful. But when the needle entered his skin he screamed through the gag, agony tore through his body like fire. His whole body felt like pins and needles were poking him. He writhed on the ground as what ever was in the needle coursed through his body. Then the door opened and Ash entered the small room. He went over to the teen and pulled the gag out of his mouth.

"What do you want with me?" Alex asked through the pain.

"Snakehead and Scorpia found me again and they wanted me to kill you. I told them I couldn't do that and they threatened to kill me. So you see my predicament. Don't worry, it'll be quick. They just wanted a little pain that's all. Once the drug wears off we'll do it. I'm sorry Alex, but this is the way it was meant to be," Ash explained.

The two left and Alex lay lying on the ground moaning in agony. He cursed himself for not paying attention and tried to think through the haze of pain of a way out of this mess.

Max sighed and started to walk again. She needed to find Alex, she hoped he was alive. Military trucks and cars passed. On the side of one of the cars Max saw the symbol she had seen on the plane. Her heart sped up and she started to follow the car without knowing she was doing. Soon she lost sight of it. She continued on a straight path. After a minute she stopped and sat down. Now she was lost.

"Nice idea, Max. Follow something that you have no business following, when you should be searching for Alex," she whispered to herself.

"Excuse me miss. You wouldn't know where I could find a shelter?" asked an old man dressed in the traditional garb of a shaman that wandered around Chile.

Max nodded and stood.

"Yes, follow me," she said.

She started walking along the road towards where she had come from. She kept her eyes peeled for an alley way. When she saw one she led the man behind her into it.

"All right. Who are you, really?" she asked.

"Looks you found me out," said the man taking off the wig and smearing the makeup.

"Eagle!" she cried when she recognized the man.

"Hey, Max. Where's Alex?" he asked.

"I don't know we were split up."

"That's bad news. I hope we find him soon then," said Eagle.

"Why?"

"Because, your boats going to leave soon. You can't miss it," said Eagle smiling.

Alex groaned as he sat up, the pain had subsided sometime ago. That would mean that Ash was coming to get him soon, so he could kill him. When the door opened he didn't even bother to fight the hands that grabbed at him. He was dragged to his feet then pushed out of his room. Ash was at his side immediately.

"Change of plans. You're to be transported to the docks where someone will take care pf you there. Well, this is goodbye Alex. I'm sorry," Ash said then he was gone.

Alex had no control over where the men were leading him. He was forced through a doorway then immediately into a car seat. His seat belt was put across his waist and a bag went over his head. He struggled a little at this but a quick punch to the gut made him stop moving. The car roared to life and soon they were driving through the streets. Alex wanted the bag off his head but no matter how hard he shook his head he couldn't get it off. He didn't dare cry out or they would hit him again. He only hoped Max was all right.

Max ran around the town for the five hundredth time that day in search of Alex. He hadn't shown up anywhere. She stopped at the rendez-vous point for Eagle. He was too far behind her.

"Find anything?" he asked.

"Nothing. Not a single trace of anything," Max answered starting to get frustrated.

"We have three hours to find him. He has to be somewhere," Eagle replied.

At that moment a large truck with the same logo as the plane and the previous vehicle sped by. In it were a few men and something or someone was covered with a black cloth. Max recognized the logo and sped after it. Eagle followed. The truck could only move slowly through this part of the town. It looked like it was headed for the docks. As if by a miracle Max and Eagle were able to follow the truck. And as Max thought it headed for the docks. Once there Max his behind some barrels. The covered up item, was dragged from the car. Max immediately recognized the shirt and pants. She stifled a gasp.

"What's wrong?" whispered Eagle.

"It's Alex," she answered.

"Shit…" he cursed.

They watched as the poor boy was beaten to the ground.

Alex felt like a punching bag, at least he felt the part. The men who had taken him out of his cell were now burying their fists and their fists into his stomach and back. He could do nothing to protect himself when those feet and hands went for his face. He lay on the ground and tried to look unconscious or dead. Either way they would probably throw him in the water and leave him to sink to the bottom. A sharp kick to his nose made him scream in agony as the blow drew blood. He lay on the ground defeated and in pain. Without a word the men picked him up and carried him to the edge of the dock, he struggled. His struggling proved futile as he was thrown into the water. The cold shocked Alex's system as he went under. He tried to kick to the surface but he soon gave up as he was dragged into the depths. Before too soon he couldn't fight the urge to breathe. He sucked in water and choked as the liquid flooded his lungs. His world turned dark as he finally hit the bottom.

A/N: Sorry guys, cliffhanger. Will Alex die or will Max save him? Keep reading to find out.


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Chapter 5:

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider.

A/N: Hi everyone. Ready for the next chapter? Here you go.

Max gasped as the men threw Alex into the water. They laughed as they walked away from the dock. When they got into their military car and left Max ran forward. She tore her shoes and socks off when she got to the edge of the dock and was about ready to dive in when Eagle stopped her. She looked at him but she saw him strip to his boxers and then run forward and dive in.

Under the surface it was murky with debris and oil. The salt water stung his eyes as Eagle searched for Alex. When he saw something glint in the water he swam for it. The object turned out to be the handcuffs Alex had been in. The boy was pale and not breathing when Eagle got to him. Determined, Eagle set his feet in the mud and pushed to the surface with all his might. When he broke the surface he coughed and gulped in air.

"He's not breathing," he yelled to Max.

Max quickly helped Eagle get Alex on the docks. Laying him on his back Max started CPR. She needed to get the water out of his lungs. Turning him like she learned she watched as red water came out of her friend's mouth. Eagle climbed onto the dock and slipped on his pants then came over to the two. Max continued to work furiously pumping water out of Alex's lungs. Suddenly, Alex's body convulsed and threw up the rest of the water. It was red with blood but it was all of it. Alex lay back down and started to breath on his own but his breaths were labored and ragged.

"Call an ambulance or something," Max told Eagle, tears welling in her eyes afraid that Alex would stop breathing again.

"If we do that those people might come to get him again, we have to get to the boat you two are scheduled to go on. There might be a doctor on the boat," Eagle said.

Max nodded and picked Alex up. His hands still bound by the cuffs.

"What are we going to do about those?" she asked gesturing to them as best she could.

Eagle went through the rest of his clothes and pulled out a Swiss Army Knife. He started to pick the cuff locks. Soon the metal was off and Alex's arms hung limply. Max forgot about her shoes and socks and started running. When she reached the proper dock she saw the boat they were to take. It was a good size and looked brand new. The people on the boat were dressed in tank tops and shorts. It looked like a scuba diving boat but the equipment on it was far from scuba diving gear. There were drills, multiple freezers, and lots of cold weather clothing being stored on deck. Max ran down the dock. A man saw them coming.

"Are you Melissa and Andrew Wells?" yelled the man.

"We are. We need help. Do you have a doctor aboard?" she answered.

He turned to a woman on the dock; she nodded and went under the deck. The man jumped onto the dock and ran towards Max.

"What happened?" he asked when he reached Alex, Max, and Eagle.

"He was drowned. We got him breathing again but he coughed up a lot of blood and hasn't woken up," explained Max.

"Who is this?" asked the man gesturing to Eagle.

"An old friend, he'll be staying in town," she said.

The man took Alex towards the boat. Max turned toward Eagle. He smiled at her.

"You two be careful," he said, "I want to see you guys again, when you get back."

"We will. I'll make sure to contact you when we return," she said.

"I'll be seeing you."

"Bye."

Eagle walked back the way he had come and Max got the feeling in the pit of her stomach. Ignoring it she turned and headed for the boat.

Once under the deck Max went over to the group of six people standing around Alex, he was lying on a table in the small room below. One of the people, a woman in her mid thirties was looking at Alex. The man who had taken Alex inside saw her and approached.

"I'm Alan," he said when he got close enough, "Andrew will be fine. Audrey will take good care of him."

"Thank you," Max answered.

Audrey sighed and smiled coming over. The group followed.

"I'm Audrey," she said holding out her hand.

"I'm Melissa," Max said shaking the proffered hand.

Introductions went around. There was Sam, Matthew, Jacklyn, and Carrie all of them were researchers.

"Jacky for short," Jacklyn said smiling.

Everyone was well built and healthy. None of them were under thirty. What was strange though was that they had an air about them that percolated caution.

"Andrew will be fine. The fluid in his lungs has disappeared and he is resting easy right now. Don't worry, he should wake up in an hour or so," said Audrey seeing Max looked over at Alex.

Max nodded and let herself be led into the cabin where they both would be staying. Then she remembered she had lost her stuff while she was looking for Alex, thankfully she had most of her gadgets on her. Looking around she saw the dressers. Going over to them she looked in and found a lot of clothes in them, they were the proper size. Max smiled. There was also boots and socks for when the weather got colder. They had gotten lucky.

The two bunks in the room were small and only able to fit one person on them. They were fixed to the wall low to the ground so they wouldn't move when someone fell asleep on them. Blankets and pillows lay on the top of them, neatly folded.

"How do you like it?" Audry asked.

"It's great, a little cramped but that's understandable," answered Max.

"Yeah we all are going to be cramped till we get back here. When we get to Antarctica the place is small so we conserve heat better, but there will be a little bit more room to move," Audry answered.

"What will Andrew and I be doing when we get there?" asked Max.

"We need you two to log. There will be a lot of logging to do. It's not dangerous but you get to be close to the work anyway. We don't want you guys to get hurt on your trip now would we?"

Max smiled and looked at the room again. The bunk looked inviting.

"I think I'll take a nap. It's been a really long day," said Max.

Audry nodded and left her to change and fall asleep. Max changed quickly and crawled into the bunk, which was quite comfortable. Soon, she fell asleep.

Max woke to someone knocking on her door. She rolled off the bunk and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. Looking over at the other bunk she saw Alex had been put in here last night, either by him walking or someone carrying him. She saw him slowly sit up and yawn.

"How you feeling?" she asked going over to the bunk trying to keep her joy contained a little.

"Not to good," said Alex looking at her.

His face was black and blue in places it looked like he had gotten into a fight with a wrestler. Max gently touched one of the bruises and Alex winced at the touch. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at him. Slowly he stood and wrapped his arms around her. Max snuggled closer and started to cry.

"It's okay I'm back now. I'll get better. Don't worry," he said.

Alex knew that only half of what he said was true. Yes, he would get better and yes, he would stay with Max for a long time, but it most definitely was not okay. Ash worried him. What was he doing in Chile? He could have been there to kill Alex, but then why bomb the city? Why not take Max as well? What was Wolf doing in Chile too? He said that he was here to check on some suspicious stuff but why send an SAS member. Why not send someone like Alex to do it for them? More questions kept popping up but none of them were being answered. Max pushed away from Alex and looked at him.

"Let's get changed and go help the others," she said.

Alex nodded and went to get a change of clothes.

A/N: There you go. How'd you like it? Now Alex and Max are finally on their way to Antarctica. What will they find when they get there?


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Chapter 6:

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex….I wish I did.

A/N: Thanks to those who have been reading regularly it motivates me to write more. Here's the next chapter.

Max had one to thing to say.

"It's cold," she complained.

"You've said that a million times now," said Alex smiling at her.

"But the truth is, it is cold. I don't like the cold," she replied leaning her head on the railing of the boat.

Alex laughed then went back the computer he was working at. The team had collected some information before they even got to the Antarctic, it was their job to keep all the information collected in order. They were going to land today, all Max could see for miles was ice and black water. She had a feeling that where they were going it would be much worse.

"Melissa can you come help make lunch?" Carrie called from the galley.

"Coming!" Max called back, "Don't freeze."

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Alex bundling deeper into his thick winter jacket.

Max descended the steps into the deck below and made her way to the galley.

"What are we having today?" she asked when she entered the small room.

"Sandwiches," answered the red headed woman.

"I should have known," answered Max.

Max started to fix Alex a PB+J sandwich when Alan came into the room looking a little flustered.

"What's the matter?" asked Carrie.

"The kit is gone," said Alan, "I left it on the seat in the lab and it's not there."

There was a small lab on the boat in the back. Max had been through it once when she had to collect a sample of the ocean water.

"I saw it under the seat in the eating area," said Max.

Surprised Alan went to check and he came back with a big black case.

"Thanks Melissa I found it," he said.

She nodded and he left to do his job. Max finished making lunch and took Alex his share.

"How's the nose?" she asked biting into her sandwich.

"It hurts a little but I'll be fine," he answered.

"So what happened?" she asked.

Alex stared at the computer screen. She saw a tear trying to break away from the tip of Alex's eye but he moved a hand across his face.

"It was Ash," he said.

"Who?" Max asked.

"He's my godfather."

"Why was he trying to kill you?"

"You've heard of Scorpia correct?"

"Yeah, but what do they have to do with it?"

"They are the ones trying to kill me. I stopped them a few times over the past few years and they aren't very happy with me. Ash got dragged into it and now he's trying to eliminate me. I thought he was dead from the last time we met. One of the SAS members shot him and we left him for dead."

Max tried to take it all in. Scorpia wanted to kill her boyfriend and they were using his godfather to do it.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked.

"Because I didn't want you to get scared away," Alex answered.

"I won't ever leave you. Thank you for telling me now," she answered squeezing his hand.

"When are we going to be there?" asked Alex after a few minutes of silence.

"A few hours, we're anchoring tonight and will finally be on something solid for once," answered Max cheerfully.

"If by solid you mean floating ice," answered Alex laughing.

Max laughed with him as they ate their sandwiches.

It was a few hours before they got to their destination. Ice flows had become thicker as the weather cooled. Max and Alex as well as everyone else bundled tighter into their jackets and blankets. It was cold. It was the fall in Antarctica so the sun hung low in the sky and over the next few days it would fall lower and lower till there was no more sun for six months straight. Max sighed, they would be here for six months with no sunlight and nothing for company. The others in the team would switch off after their six months in the freezing weather with the summer team. Max watched as the anchor crashed through some ice that was forming as it disappeared in the dark depths of the ocean. Alex was inside trying to stay warm, he was never one for the cold. Max went to see him and help him pack the small duffel bags they were given. The whole boat was to be stripped except for food. The past summer team was switching with them to go back to Chile today as well.

"Alex, you ready?" she asked.

"I'm good. I packed your things as well," he answered.

She smiled in thanks and grabbed her bag and other supplies she was supposed to carry. They made their way on to the deck.

"Melissa, the sled is ready you can put the extra food on now. Andrew after you put your stuff down can you help me?" asked Matthew.

"Sure," answered Alex.

Max smiled as she walked with her boyfriend to the sled. The front was made so that people could pull it instead of dogs, so there were no extra mouths to feed. When Max put the food onto the sled she watched as Alex got back onto the boat and went to help Matthew.

"The camp site isn't that far away. It's a very short walk," said Audrey.

"I'm not complaining but Andrew might, he does that all the time," said Max.

"I don't," answered Alex carrying a big long box followed by Matthew.

"What is that?" asked Max.

"A telescope so we can watch the Northern Lights," answered Matthew quickly.

When the group was ready to go they all started off for the camp site.

"We should see the safety tent first then we can go farther in to the lodging. We all will take turns in the tent, so we can watch for anything in case something is wrong," said Alan looking back at Max and Alex.

They soon saw the tent in question. The tent itself was bright orange. The material flapped with the wind that constantly blew in the area. But something seemed off. If someone was supposed to be in there wouldn't they come out to greet the winter team group? Also the coloring on the tent was orange but some of its coloring was darker than normal. Something made Max nervous. The scientists also seemed to think something was wrong because they slowed as they neared the tent.

"Is anybody there?" called Sam.

There was no answer.

"Something's wrong," said Jacklyn.

"It could be that they're in the lodging packing," said Carrie trying to quell the uneasiness going around the group.

"I'll go check it out," said Alex.

He walked over to tent and tapped on the front of the entrance. When no one answered he stepped inside. When he came back out Alex was about as pale as the snow around him.

"What's the matter?" Carrie called.

Alex seemed to choke on his words.

He had seen blood and death many times before but what was inside the safety tent was something he wasn't ready for.

"Andrew what is it?" asked Audrey after he hadn't answered Carrie's call.

"They're….they're all…" he couldn't say the words at the tip of his tongue.

Max came over and took a look into the tent herself. When she came back out she was horrified.

"What's the matter?" asked Alan.

"They're all dead!" Max said.

A/N: Sorry with another cliffy. But I had to get this posted. I will be on vacation over the next two weeks, I will try to post if I can but I can't promise anything. Keep writing.


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider.

A/N: I'm back from vacation and here's the next chapter. I hope you like it.

Chapter 7: Deep Freeze

It was cold sitting in the boat. The group had returned when they had found all of their companions murdered. They had not wanted to sleep in the tents that night. Max sat on her bunk not touching the food that was given to her. She had seen murders before and she had seen things that would make normal people have nightmares for a week, she was just not expecting to see it here.

"You okay?" asked Alex from his bunk.

"I'm fine," she answered in a monotone voice.

"You don't sound like it," he answered.

Max didn't answer, Alex watched her and sighed. Before nodding off he looked at her one more time.

Max watched as Alex drifted off to sleep. After an hour of listening to his soft breathing she was sure he was asleep. Quietly she left the room. Once in the hall she tiptoed to the stairs that led onto the deck. Climbing them she navigated the deck to the back which had been lowered so they could get to the ice. It was freezing outside and Max wrapped up even more to keep from freezing herself. The ice cracked and crunched under her boots as she retraced the path that led to the tents that held the dead bodies. She wanted to check things out further without telling anyone. Stepping inside one of the bright orange tents she saw the blood stains on the snow and the fabric. The faces of the dead were masks of terror and pain. Pushing down the urge to throw up she stepped over to one of the bodies. She had slipped some latex gloves in her pocket before leaving the boat. Slipping those on now she touched some exposed skin of the body in front of her. The body was frozen hard, no matter what she tried to do the skin refused to budge. The bodies had been there for a while. She looked at the blood. Even though frozen it had turned black, they had been killed some time ago. She looked around at the tent. Thinking over what she knew had to be there she looked around for something that seemed suspicious. She took one more three-sixty look and figured out what was missing, the computer that had all of the information on it. Leaving the bodies she went back to the boat. No one had noticed her gone. She slipped into bed and tried to think about why the computer would be missing.

Alex woke in the morning to see Max sleeping peacefully. She looked so pretty when she was sleeping. He got up and got dressed without waking her. Going to the galley he fixed himself some breakfast. He couldn't get the images of the dead people out of his mind. He could see all the blood and only wonder what kind of person would attack these people. He could only guess what he had gotten himself into again. As the rest of the team woke and came in for breakfast he could only think about Max and her safety. Speaking of she wasn't up yet, Max had always been an early riser and never slept in. Today was different. Thinking it was strange Alex went to the room and saw Max taking off her pants. He yelled in surprise and ducked out of the room. He could feel the heat in his cheeks and his palms started sweating. A minute later Max walked out of the room.

"Sorry," he said.

"It's fine," she said.

"Remember the last time I accidentally did that you were so mad you didn't talk to me for a while?"

Max nodded and laughed along with him. Before they got to the galley Alex stopped her.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" she replied.

"You don't usually sleep in late," he asked.

"I'm fine," she answered and walked into the galley.

Something in her eyes told Alex differently.

A/N: Sorry it's so short I wanted to get it up ASAP.


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The First to Go

Chapter 8: The First to Go

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider.

A/N: SORRY THIS IS SO LATE!! I hope that I have caught your attention, now's when the fun begins. What will happen? Read to find out.

"So what are we going to do from here?" asked Carrie.

"We try and go back," answered Alan.

"We can't go back," said Sam.

"Why not?" asked Alex.

"There was a winter storm last night. The boat is packed into the ice. If we're lucky it'll melt but I doubt that very much," answered Sam.

The whole group fell silent. They looked at the boat and at each other.

"Well, we have enough food and water. We have all of our equipment. We can do our research here until the ice melts. We'll just stay in the boat," said Alan.

Everyone agreed with that plan.

But Max felt a little apprehensive about the whole thing. She had been outside last night and the storm wasn't that bad, unless it got worse when she had fallen asleep, it would have never created pack ice thick enough to trap them. But she didn't argue. This wasn't her specialty. After grabbing a quick bite to eat she went outside and saw, to her amazement, pack ice had them trapped on all sides. She went to the edge of the boat and stood on the ice without it breaking. Sighing she hopped back onto the boat and went over to the storage facilities, she was making sure that they didn't have an extra laptop with them. She found no extras and none of them were missing, she was getting a little weirded out by all that had taken place. She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"What are you doing?" asked Alex.

"Nothing," Max lied.

Alex gave her a stern look but she ignored it. Something wasn't right, she knew it and it was sending shivers down her back. Suddenly, someone screamed. Alex and Max dashed out of the room and down the hall to the galley. The door was opened just a crack, as if it couldn't close. Max and Alex heard footsteps come from around the ship. The only one that wasn't there was Audrey.

"What happened?" asked Jacky.

"We don't know, we heard the scream and ran down here to see what happened," answered Alex.

"Let's see," said Matthew.

They opened the door. At first everything looked to be okay. But it was silent in the room. As they spread out and searched the small galley, nothing seemed out of place. Suddenly, Carrie gasped. She was by the pantry. Everyone went to where she was. On the floor was a red substance. No one bent down, no one moved. Taking a deep breath Alex stepped forward and was ready to push the door open, when a voice broke through the tense silence.

"What's wrong?" asked Audrey.

Everyone jumped when they heard her voice.

"What happened?" asked Max breathless.

"I dropped some spaghetti sauce and cut my finger, I went to take care of it," she said, "Sorry for scaring you guys."

Everyone dispersed. Max and Alex went to their room. Max sat on her bed and thought about the computer that was missing from the tents but wasn't in the boat. Alex was staring at Max. He wondered what had gotten into her. The day passed without anything exciting happening. Everyone was tired from the tense morning. But all too soon it was time for lights out. Max was asleep right away, Alex could hear her breaths slow and ease as she drifted into her dreams. Soon Alex fell asleep as well.

Max woke in the middle of the night from a noise down the hall. She quietly slipped out of bed and down the hall. A light was on in Audrey's room. No noise was coming from the small cabin. Max got a bad feeling in her stomach as she made her way to the open door. Looking in she saw Audrey on the floor, her eyes closed.

"Audrey, what's the matter? I saw your light on and came to see what the matter was," said Max, her heart pounding in her chest.

Audrey didn't move, and she didn't say anything.

"Come on Audrey. This isn't funny. Get up," said Max going over to the woman.

She gently shook the prone form on the ground. Audrey neither protested nor moved. Max panicked. She checked for a pulse, a breath, anything that would prove life. She never found anything. Max was panting and breathing hard. She'd never been in a situation like this before. She screamed as loud as she possibly could and backed out the door. There were footsteps as people ran to where she was. She just stood looking in the door. As they all got there Matthew went inside to see if she was okay, he backed away, horrified.

"She's dead. She's dead," he repeated over and over.

It was too much for Max and she fainted.

When she woke she was in her bed. Hearing voices she went to the living cabin where they talked and played card games. The group was talking.

"We can't just throw her body overboard. We have to give her a proper burial!" yelled Carrie.

"But we can't keep her on the boat!" argued Alan.

"We can close her door and leave her in her room," said Matthew in a calm voice.

"All right, but if I smell anything the body goes outside," said Alan.

"We have a bigger problem," said Alex.

"What is that?" asked Sam.

"There's a murder in our midst," said Max coming close.


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Chapter 9: Less Then Subtle

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider.

A/N: I need to clear one thing up. I made a mistake with time. The prologue is in the fall, when the sun only comes up a few hours everyday, but in the time frame now it is full blown winter, a few months after the prologue.

Max sat down at the table and looked around at everyone. She stared at each person for a moment before moving her gaze.

"What do you mean there's a murderer in our midst?" asked Sam.

"We are stuck in an ice flow in the Antarctic and someone has been murdered," Max said, "The murderer is one of us."

The whole group looked at one another cautiously.

"Let me take a look at the body," said Max.

Everyone looked at her.

"What if you're the murderer? Couldn't you be trying to conceal evidence?" asked Sam.

"That's why all of those who can take seeing the body one more time can come in and witness. Just so there are no tricks," answered Max, her tone was cold.

They all thought about it then nodded. She stood and walked down the hall to the closed door. Taking a deep breathe she went in. Audrey was lying on her bed and it looked just like she was sleeping peacefully, except that she wasn't breathing and her face was unnaturally pale. Max went over to the body and started to look for any sign as too how she was murdered. She took her time and went over every inch of exposed skin. When she was done she looked around the room.

"Is everything how it should be?" she asked the group.

They all looked around and nodded.

"So there was no struggle at all. That narrows it down to poisoning. But what type is something all together," Max explained, "There are no lines on her nails so it was one dose poison."

"How can you be sure she wasn't strangled?" asked Sam.

"There is no sign of a struggle, even if it is someone you know, your body needs air and will fight to get it. Besides there are no lacerations on her neck and no bruising. She was killed suddenly. There are only a few poisons that can kill instantly in the right dose."

"What are they?" asked Alex.

"Arsenic, hemlock, and cyanide are the main ones that I'm worried about," Max answered.

"Why is that?" asked Alan.

"Arsenic could be in the wood and burning just a small amount and slipping into someone's food could kill them in the course of an hour without any sign they were poisoned. Cyanide could be in the medical kits, for an emergency. In the right dose it'll stop the heart. And hemlock looks like a plant or vegetable. It could be in the refrigerator right now," Max explained.

The whole group looked a little scared and apprehensive.

"What do we do?" asked Sam.

"Make your own food. All the food that is here comes in big servings. To keep from poisoning themselves the murderer couldn't have put it in one of the big containers. Anything that comes in a single serving is sealed. If the seal is broken don't eat it," Max instructed.

She walked out of the room and outside onto the freezing deck. She wanted to take yet another look at the tent but that would me going out alone, and she didn't want to do that.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Alex as he came and stood beside her.

"There is something extremely weird here," she answered.

"Like what?"

"When you were asleep one night I went to see the tent again. There's a computer missing. It's strange because why would someone want to take the computer?"

"I don't know but we have to find the murderer, and fast."

Max agreed and went to her bunk. She dressed into her nightgown and checked the surrounding area to make sure there was nothing dangerous lying around that the killer might use. Alex came in.

"Lock the door," she said.

He nodded and she heard a click as the door locked. She settled down for a little sleep.

In the morning the atmosphere was tense and heavy. No one talked to anyone else and everyone avoided each other. Max could feel people watch her as she passed by. She wondered if they could get through this ordeal. Max went to the galley and went through all the packaging and found something was unopened; she looked at what it was. It was instant spaghetti. She sighed and popped in the microwave they had on board. She looked around the kitchen and decided to inspect it. She went over every inch of the galley and found nothing. Sighing she went back to her spaghetti that was done. When she went to the door she saw that something wasn't right. The microwave usually flashed words that told if the food was ready. But there was a clock. Being cautious as she was, Max took out the noodles and walked for her room. Alex was sitting on his bed when she came in with the food. He jumped up.

"Yes, thanks for bringing breakfast," he said going for the food.

"Don't touch it," she said.

"Oh, I guess I'll go get my own then," Alex said.

"Someone tried to poison me. They forgot that the microwave tells you when food is ready and goes back to the clock if you open the door."

Alex froze.

"What are you going to do?" he whispered.

She threw the food in the trash bin that was lying beside the bed.

"We need to be careful," she said, "The murderer is getting desperate. We're getting to close to the answer and he or she is panicking."

Alex nodded. Max sighed as she resigned herself for a late lunch. Standing she went onto the deck and looked at the ice. There was a sudden sound from down below but ignoring it Max turned back to the ice. Stepping down onto it she noticed that it gave a little, the stuff underneath her was not solid. Her heart leapt into her throat. She climbed back onto the boat and walked around on the deck. She poked at the ice with a pole and found that the ice all around was not solid. She ran down below and gathered everyone to tell of her findings.

"The ice isn't solid, we can get out of here," she said.

"We can't go back now," said Alan.

"Why not?" asked Alex.

"Because even though the ice is able to crack and break even a small chunk of ice can rip into the hull and cause it to sink. We need to stay here until all of it melts," answered the scientist.

That was when Jacklyn spoke up.

"Where's Sam?" she asked, looking around.

There was a sudden thump and everyone ran to where the sound was. The sound had come from Sam's room. Alex slowly opened the door and went pale when he peeked inside.

"What?" asked Carrie.

"You might not want to look in there," he said.

But the others didn't listen and looked inside. Blood covered the walls of the cabin. Sam lay on his bed curled up in the fetal position. Blood soaked and ran down his back, the remaining scraps of his shirts hanging off his body. There had been a struggle. The evidence that every thing was either knocked down or broken. The murder weapon was being displayed in the sheets next to Sam's body, its shiny blade gleaming in the little light that had found its way into the room.

The whole group including Max immediately left and shut the door.

"How come no one heard the struggle?" asked Alan.

"Maybe we were too preoccupied with other things to notice a few bumps," said Alex.

"The mess in there was huge there is no way no one heard it," said Jacklyn.

"The fact is, no one did hear it," said Max.

She looked at the people around her and observed their clothes and hands. No one seemed suspicious. It was going to be a long night.


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

A/N: Hey everyone. I am NOT discontinuing this story. I've just had a bunch of stuff to work on. I will finish this story in a week or so. Tell me if you would like to see another Max and Alex adventure.

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider.

Jacklyn sat on the couch attached to the wall of the boat, her head in her hands. Carried was trying to calm her down. Matthew and Alan were leaning on the wall, silent. Max and Alex were sitting at the table watching them. The situation was getting volatile. If one more person died it was going to become chaotic on the boat. No one knew what to do and everyone was a suspect.

Outside the Antarctic winds whistled over the little boat. The weather was getting bad and soon they would have to move to the tents, the boat could be crushed anytime. It was the last straw for Alex.

"I'm calling the Coast Guard in America, they can get permission to come and get us," he said standing and heading for the transmission room.

Alan grabbed his wrist, stopping him.

"What about the boat and all the equipment?" he asked.

"You have GPS here right? We leave, wait for the ice to melt then come back and get the boat," Alex answered taking his hand back. He continued for the transmission room.

"Wait for me Andrew," Max said, wanting to watch over him.

When the two got to the transmission room they saw a bunch of equipment that didn't look anything like a radio. It was all filled with radar and a switchboard of some sort. Alex looked at Max who face had hardened into a very worried expression.

"What?" asked Alex.

"It's missile launching equipment. This is all the guiding and targeting systems," she answered.

"You are very clever," said a voice behind them, they turned and saw Alan standing there, with the muzzle of a gun pointing at them.

"What is this for?" asked Max.

"Ever wondered what would happen if a missile from Britain struck the United States?" asked Alan.

Max snarled at him and made a move to knock the guy senseless, but the gun trained on her made her think twice.

"You're a terrorist," Max accused, "You started killing everyone because you didn't want to be found out."

Alan smirked then moved aside to let them out, the gun stilled pointed at them.

"Get to the living space," Alan ordered.

The two obeyed. When they got there Jacky and Carrie were slumped in their seats. Max could tell they were dead. Matthew was leaning against the far wall, smirking. Alan made them sit on the couch next to the two bodies. Matthew turned to the table and picked up two objects, needles filled with a clear liquid. Max could tell it was poison.

"So that's how you killed Audrey," she stated.

"And it's how we're going to kill you," Matthew said going for Max.

Alex noticed that Alan had put his gun down, so he jumped at Matthew. The two fell to the floor of the ship. Matthew swung and barely missed Alex, who was on top. The two flipped and it took all of Alex's strength to keep Matthew from digging the needle into his neck. Max jumped up and tried to get Matthew off of Alex but she was rustled away by Alan. Matthew swung again at Alex and hit him across the cheek. Alex grunted in pain but held on. Alex kicked up and was able to unseat Matthew. The two faced each other. Matthew was the first to move. He charged at Alex, who easily through him over his shoulder. But when Matthew hit the ground he grunted in pain then fell still. Alex turned him over with his boot and saw that the syringe that Matthew had been holding was now dug into his chest, empty. Alex turned to Alan.

"Let her go," Alex said.

"Why would I do that?" asked Alan holding Max tighter.

She cried out in pain. Alex tensed. They circled each other. Alex tried to think of a plan. He could attack Alan and save Max and probably the world from going into another world war. But they wouldn't be able to get back, they would be stuck till the spring thaw. By then they would be miles inland and probably wouldn't be able to get out anyway. He made a hard decision. He turned and dashed up the stairs into the cold. He vaulted over the side and ran over the ice to the only place he knew there was warmth.

Inside the boat Alan was laughing.

"He just left you like that?" asked Alan.

"I would have done the same thing," she answered, "It was the best decision he could make."

Alan was confused but he forced her into a chair and bound her to it. She looked up at him perplexed.

"Your friend killed my friend, he was supposed to be here as a companion. If someone stays to long in solitude they go crazy. So now you'll be my companion until there is no need for you anymore."

She scowled but was relieved a little.

Alex stumbled through the snow for the safety tent. Once inside he went to one of the corpses and stripped it of a coat. Although he felt a little sick wearing a dead persons coat, covered in blood, he was glad for the warmth. He went searching through the things left there and found a map. It showed a group of scientists from another country were not too far away, he was sure they would have some sort of communication equipment. He sat back against the tent. He needed a rest before he tried to get to the other tent.


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider…:'(

When Alex woke, he wasn't exactly sure where he was. But the memory soon came back to him and he realized just in how much trouble he was in. He was sitting in a safety tent with a bunch of slaughtered corpses, wearing one of said corpses coats, no gloves, no snow pants, and not to mention his girl friend was still in the hands of a terrorist, if she was even alive. Sighing Alex put his head in his hands, he knew what he had to do and he knew he needed to do it now. Standing he grabbed the map he had found, a compass, and some frozen food bars. Walking outside he realized how warm it had been in there compared to the outside. He had looked at the map and had figured out where he needed to head. He turned left and started walking.

Max sighed, her legs were numb, she was hungry, and she had to go to the bathroom. Alan, after tying her in a chair, had gone to the galley to eat, then he disposed of all the bodies on the boat, by throwing the bodies outside in the cold figuring something would eat the fresh meat. He had not offered her anything to eat at all and he had only said a word or two to her. She wondered what he was really keeping her around for. About four hours later he came into the room. He stood in front of her and looked down at her.

"Who are you really?" he asked.

She smirked and said nothing. He hit her across the face, hard enough for blood to spray from her nose. She groaned but turned her head back to Alan, her eyes set hard.

"Who are you?"

Again she didn't answer, this time it was a punch to the stomach. She coughed and moaned at the pain.

"Who are you?"

"My name's Max. Max Williams," she answered, hanging her head.

"Who do you work for?" Alan asked again.

"MI6."

He chuckled then went out of her sight.

Alex stumbled and fell into the snow. He groaned. His hands were frozen and he was sure that if he stayed outside much longer he would pass out from hypothermia. He stood and started to trudge through the wind and the snow. He was sure by now he would have made it to the other countries base camp. But he had seen nothing. He tripped and fell again. Not having enough strength to move he relaxed into the cold snow.

"I'm sorry Max," he said as he passed out.

Max looked up when Alan entered the room. He was holding what looked like a tray of food. Her stomach grumbled at the smell of it. He turned and laughed.

"I was wondering if you were hungry."

He held out a spoon full of soup. Although she was hungry she didn't take the spoon into her mouth.

"It's poisoned," she said.

"Trust me I won't kill you, not yet anyway."

Before she knew it he had forced the spoon into her mouth. She was forced to swallow. The soup felt good in her stomach. Figuring Alan was telling the truth she ate the whole bowl and felt much better.

Alex woke to something being forced down his throat. He coughed and swallowed whatever had been placed in his mouth. He heard chatting above him but could not make out what was being said. He opened his eyes and saw roof of ice and snow. He didn't have the strength to move. Someone leaned over him and he saw an Asian face peering down at him. More words were exchanged and a group of Asian faces hovered over him.

"Daijobu desu ka?" asked the first face, it sounded like a man.

Alex furrowed his brow questioningly.

"Are you all right?" asked another in choppy English.

"Where am I?" asked Alex.

"Japanese base camp in Antarctica," answered the man who seemed to be the only who knew any English.

Alex shot up, which he only realized was a bad idea after the fact.

"You no move," said the man.

"Do you have a radio transmission?" asked Alex when his head cleared a little.

The man nodded and went away. The others started to go back to what they had been doing originally. He noticed that his jacket was missing; they probably saw the blood and thought it was his. The man came back to help him stand. The man led him through tunnels made of ice and snow into a room where there was a lot of equipment. A radio transmitter was set up. Alex knew what frequency he needed and turned the dial for the correct one.

"Mayday! Mayday! This is MI6 agent Alex Rider asking for assistance. Mayday!" he said into the voice piece.

"Roger that Alex Rider. This is radio communicator Brian Fields on board the HMS _Mystique_ what's the situation?" came the reply.

"My partner and I were on a mission in Antarctica. A terrorist was on the boat. He and his partner killed the members of the crew and took over the boat. I am currently at a base camp belonging to the Japanese. My partner is being held hostage to the best of my knowledge," Alex answered, "Send a message to MI6 and the US coast guard. We need assistance ASAP."

"Roger that. Over and out."

Alex sat back in his seat and sighed. A hand on his shoulder alerted him to the man behind him.

"We give shelter," he said.

"Could I have a jacket and outdoor pants? I need to help my partner," Alex said.

The man understood and went to get what he asked. Another person came into the room and gave him a steaming bowl of soup. He gratefully took it and downed it.

The Japanese scientists not only gave him new winter clothes but they also took him on a machine to the safety tent where Alex had shown them. After saying goodbye and thank you he entered the tent. He had come up with a plan of action along the way and hoped that he wasn't too late.


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

A/N: Here's another chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex Rider.

Eagle patiently sat waiting in a small café off of the main road. He was still in Chile and he had gotten the information he needed to complete his mission. So the moment he got to this small town in Chile he had contacted MI6 and was now waiting to be picked up. The small phone in his pocket vibrated. Picking out of his pocket he flipped it open.

"Be at the rendezvous in ten minutes," the stern voice of Wolf said through the device.

"Nice to hear from you too," Eagle answered cheerfully.

"We have a situation to take care off. There was a problem with a mission, Cub was on it."

"I know I met him and Kitten when I was in the coast town. What's the matter?"

"Cub was found nearly frozen by some foreign scientists. He contacted a nearby ship with their communication equipment. Apparently Kitten has been taken hostage by a terrorist."

A few choice words popped out of Eagle's mouth at that point. The phone clicked and he put it on the table next to him. It would take him two minutes to get to the rendezvous point, but if he went to early he could be followed, he had to wait. The waiter came and served him a small meal he had asked for. Eagle gulped the food down. When it was time for him to go his phone rang beside him on the table. He stood and picked it up, walking away from the café as he flipped the little phone open, it was probably Wolf wondering where he was.

"I'll be right there," he said into the phone.

"I bet you won't," said a strange voice, "I wonder if the locals in the villa where you are now know there were fireworks scheduled in thirty seconds."

Eagle looked at the phone. His eyes widened in surprise as he cocked his arm back.

Fire erupted in a small villa, very near an international airport. A small café that had stood on the street was now nothing more than a few rocks on the ground. The workers inside and locals out in the street were killed instantly. When investigators went through the debris they found the source of the explosion to be a small cellular phone, a burnt appendage sticking to the melted plastic.

The corpses in the tents had things that Alex could use, although it troubled him to go through their belongings. He found three Swiss Army knives and a pencil in their coat pockets. He stripped their shoes of their laces and raided one of the storage spaces, which held a backpack and medical emergency kit. He stuffed the knives, shoelaces, and first aid kit into the medium sized bag. Then he lay back and curled himself into a ball as much as possible. Then he fell asleep, knowing that in hours he would be fighting for his and Max's life.

Max had fallen asleep. She was too exhausted to stay awake. But as she woke she noticed that she was alone. There were footsteps in the hall, out of her sight line. As they got closer she pretended to be asleep. Alan came into the room, he stopped, but did nothing else. He then turned and walked back down the hall. Max sighed silently to herself. She needed to keep sane till Alex came to get her. She was sure he would come to get her, she was sure. That is if the snow hadn't killed him first.

A/N: Sorry this is short. I promise the next one will be better.


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13:

A/N: All right, ready for Alex's plan to go into action?

Disclaimer: I don't own Alex.

The snow was coming down hard and Alex could barely see two feet in front of him. But he could see the lights from the boats hull out over the barren landscape; they were the only source of warmth in this desolate place. He slipped and fell but quickly stood and continued on, he had a job to do and he wasn't going to fail. As he approached the boat he slowed and quieted his steps. He went towards the back of the boat where there was a small stepladder to get into the boat if you were ever in the water. Slowly and carefully he climbed onto the familiar deck of the boat. Down below he heard whistling and knew that is was Alan, Max never whistled unless it was a signal. He opened the lockless hatch that led to the lower decks. Hopefully the draft wouldn't be noticed. The stairway that led to the living area of the boat was dark, and so was the area below. He faintly remembered seeing light coming from the galley.

Slowly descending the steps he listened for noises of approaching feet. Suddenly, he heard them and ducked out of sight that blocked the small staircase from the room. The light flicked on and Alex blinked a few times to get his eyes adjusted to the bright light.

"Dinner time," said the voice of Alan.

There was no sound from Max who Alex assumed was in the next room.

"What's with the look?" asked Alan, teasing and taunting a bit.

There was the clink of dishes. Max had said nothing so far. But soon the clinking stopped.

"There, better? I told you I would take care of you till I have no need of you," said the sadistic man.

Alex could see in his mind's eyes Max's scowl that he was sure emblazoned on his face. A small hiss of air escaped his closed teeth. He stilled, the room beyond was quiet. He expected Alan to be discover him any second. But the sound of footsteps going away and the light turning off told him he was safe.

Max again ate the whole bowl of soup that Alan had offered her. She was so weak and tired now that she could not fight back anymore. She wondered when she became so weak. Still, at least she was fed and hydrated. Alan so far had given her two bathroom breaks. She had not tried to escape because she had no coat and there was no way she was going to attempt suicide, Alex was coming for her after all. She had heard and felt the draft that had drifted through when her savior had opened the door to the outside. She was sure he was crouching behind the steps, waiting for his chance. When Alan left and the lights went off, she waited patiently. If she made any noise Alan might come back. But she didn't have to worry, Alex was already behind her cutting her bonds. They snapped and she brought her hands forward. Suddenly someone was there hugging her, someone very cold.

"I was so worried about you," whispered Alex into her ear.

"What do we do now?" she asked quietly.

"We go to a small camp not far from here," he answered.

"But I have no coat."

"I brought an extra one."

Something cold and large was stuck in her hand, a jacket. She quietly swung it on and grabbed onto Alex's hand. They turned to go back to the stairs, when something large hit Alex full in the back knocking him to the ground. Max couldn't see but she could hear the grunts and groans as the two males battled it out of the floor. She felt around to find the light. Finding the switch she flipped it and was blinded almost instantly.

Alex got a bright light in his eyes but he was too busy trying to defend himself than worry about protecting his eyes; after all a needle was pointing at his throat by a surprisingly powerful human being. Alan was trying to skewer his throat with the last remaining arsenic needle. Alex tried desperately to get his feet solidly planted in the middle of Alan's stomach but was unsuccessful many times. Max was soon there pushing Alan off of him, but in her weakened state that was about all she could manage. A sharp slap to the face and she was down on the ground. Alex stood and brandished one of the knives he had salvaged. He wasn't that good of a knife fighter, but he could improvise.

Alan lunged forward, Alex tried to get out of the way or at least get the knife up but he was hit to the ground again by a vicious kick to the face. He could taste blood in his mouth. Spitting the vile liquid out he turned and was faced with Alan standing over him.

"You came back, I'm surprised you survived," said the man.

Alex had no time to respond. Alan was lunging for him again, and this time Alex was sure he would not be able to fend the larger man off. A moan from the floor on the other side of the room stilled them both. Max was trying to sit up, she was certainly dazed. Alan was there within seconds; he grabbed onto her soft hair and pulled. She cried out in surprise and pain as she tried to struggle out of the hold. When something sharp poked at her neck she stilled, as well as Alex who was on his feet and getting ready to lunge for them both.

"Do anything and I kill her; I can survive two hours without another human soul to keep me company," Alan said breathlessly.

Max gulped. Alex saw that she had relaxed as much as she could at the moment, but she was still very tense.

Max tried to act like a frightened hostage, her body was tense, but this tension was good. It would be harder for Alan to evade her attack. Before the boys knew what she was doing she jerked her right elbow into Alan's chin. He grunted then collapsed to the floor, the syringe still in his hand, none of it gone. She saw Alex completely relax. He looked at her then at Alan. Walking over to her he gave her one of the biggest bear hugs she had felt in a long time. Smiling she gave him the hug back.

"Took you enough time to get here," she teased.

"We better get some lights on in here, or some flares outside. Someone is coming to pick us up," Alex answered.

Max smiled then started for the door. As she was climbing she heard someone grunt and yell out in pain. Turning she saw Alan holding Alex in a vice like grip the needle he still had dug deeply into the younger boy's neck. She was there in a second and had Alan successfully knocked out and the syringe out of Alex's neck. He was starting to breathe hard. The needle had about half its contents left. The poison wouldn't kill him immediately with the dose but it might if left untreated. Alex fell to the floor. Max hurried to catch him. He was already sweating profusely and Max could feel his temperature rising even through all the coats both he and she had on.

"Hold on," she pleaded.

Quickly securing Alan she ran outside and scooped up an armful of snow, brining it in she stuffed it down Alex's jacket attempting to keep his core cool. Once she was sure the snow had melted she stripped him of his jacket and shirt. Dousing the already soaked shirt in cold water she started to dab at his forehead, hoping he would be okay.

Wolf cursed; this damn snow was making it hard to land. Usually a flight would be put off for this kind of storm, but he had friends to save and he wasn't going to fail this time. Fox and Snake sat in the back, waiting, they knew what Wolf was going through, they just didn't understand why he took it so personally.

Max didn't hear the sound of an aircraft landing not to far away, she didn't hear the hatch to the outside opening, and she definitely didn't hear footsteps on the stairs, what brought her back to reality was a strong hand pulling her away from Alex. She struggled and screamed, but whoever was holding her held tighter. Later she would realize it was Fox who was grasping her so tightly. She would also realize later that the three who had come had saved not only Alex, but her as well.

The hospital room smelled of bleach and alcohol. Alex was lying on the starch white sheets, asleep. His fever had broken only an hour before but he was still very sick. The doctors told her that he was lucky; a lot of people would have died before they had gotten to the hospital. Alex had been transferred from the emergency medical center in a small town in Chile to a hospital in London. Max herself had been treated for severe hypothermia and lack of sleep. She now sat with Alex, no one could convince her to leave. The others had arrested Alan and he was being held on trial. But she had also learned some bad news. Eagle was MIA. She sighed as she watched over Alex.

He woke slowly, Alex could feel it in his system, he was weak. He was sick. Peering around the room he saw that he was in a starch white room, lying in a hospital bed, and hooked up to all kinds of things. Suddenly Max was there hugging him and crying.

"You're okay," she sobbed still holding onto him.

He only nodded.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Alan injected some of the arsenic into your system, but not all of it. I thought you were going to die but Wolf, Fox, and Snake made it in time to save the both of us," she answered.

He smiled and tried to sit up. For a moment his muscles wouldn't obey and he needed Max to help him into a sitting position.

"I'll go get a nurse," Max said quietly.

Alex looked at her and saw that she looked sleep deprived and sick all her own. But knowing her he wouldn't argue about it. Max stood and went out to get a passing nurse. Within three seconds Wolf, Fox, and Snake were all swarming into the room. They were smiling. Wolf ruffled his hair.

"Needed us to save you again, Cub?" asked Wolf.

"Can we please change my codename now?" asked Alex laughing.

The others laughed along.

"Nope, sorry you're always going to be Cub to us. But I think we need to change Kitten's to Viper or something, she gave Fox a run for his money when she was looking after you," answered Snake, a big smile plastered from ear to ear.

Alex cocked and eye brow at Fox who looked away completely embarrassed. The room erupted into laughter. Even after the nurse came and went the room was filled with jovial expression.

Alex got out of the hospital weeks after he entered. The doctors told him to take it easy and to not do anything dangerous for a 6 granted him a few weeks vacation as well as Max. That night when he got home from the hospital Jack was there to greet him. She had made him his favorite meal and they sat for hours watching his favorite movies. But soon Jack was tired and went to bed.

"Don't stay up too late," she said walking up the stairs.

He nodded and turned back to the TV. Just then his phone started to ring. It was Max.

"Hey," he said into the phone.

"Hey," she answered her voice different than normal; Alex immediately went into danger mode.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing," she answered, "I just wondered if we could meet somewhere."

That was not Max like behavior.

"Where?" asked Alex.

"Maybe the park or the school yard."

"I'll be at the school yard as soon as I can."

He heard Max hang up then went to the kitchen. Grabbing a piece of paper and a pen he wrote a note to Jack telling her where he was, just in case. Slipping outside he rode his bike to the school grounds.

He saw Max sitting on one of the many benches on the grounds. Dropping his bike he ran over to her. She looked sick. For the past couple of weeks he had seen her only two or three times, he assumed she was really busy, her appearance now was a testament to that. She looked at him but didn't stand or go to him.

"Is everything okay?" asked Alex.

She nodded.

"Everything's fine," she voiced.

He went over and sat down next to her, she didn't move.

"You know when I was tied up and left with Alan?" she asked.

"Of course I do, why would I forget that?" he replied.

"He told me something."

Alex waited for the rest of the statement.

"He said he was hired to take me to his boss, any way he could," she finally divulged, "He said that he had orders to kill you and everyone else on the boat, that the actual bomb threat was completely fake. We didn't leave when you ran because we were stuck."

She fell silent for a moment.

"For a few days there I thought he was going succeed in at least part of his mission," she said, "I didn't think you were going to make it."

Then she broke down. Alex hugged her close and pat her head. He gently quieted her.

"You don't have to worry, I'm here, you'll be okay," he said.

"I wish I could believe that," she whispered.

Before he could answer she had kissed him full on the mouth and was fleeing. He sat stunned for a minute before he registered that she was gone. Going over he picked up his bike and went home, troubled by Max's behavior. That night he had trouble sleeping. When he woke the next morning he turned on the TV and flipped to the news. What greeted him was a building in flames. Firefighters were working hard to quell the inferno, but it kept defying them. Alex froze, he recognized the building, it was Max's apartment complex. He dived for his phone and dialed. A long beep answered him. Alex felt his heart torn in two, Max was gone.

The funeral was three days later, the only thing in the coffin unidentifiable remains. But Max was the only tenant to not make it out. Alex stood grimfaced, this was the fourth person in his life to be lost to MI6. As they were lowering the coffin in to the grave he looked up and caught someone standing by a near by grave. The girl had on a bright red tee shirt and jeans. She had on a hat and sunglasses, peering down at one of the graves. When Alex saw her she turned and walked away, but not before he caught a glimpse of a shock of light brown hair.

A/N: All right….you probably hate me now Although this story is done, THE ADVENTURE IS NOT! I think I have one more story hiding up my sleeve. Trust me you won't be disappointed. I think the next story I will post, that will have a…yes…Max/Alex theme, will be 'The L.I.O.N Trials'. Ready?


End file.
